Election day for the four Union positions open during this winter round is just two days away. Usually, winter elections are limited to just one or two races, but for a variety of reasons, this year will have four open slots, including one with a constituency of the entire ungraduate student body. The open seats are:
- Senator for Ridgewood Quad. Ridgewood was unoccupied last semester, so there was no Senator.
- Senator for Village Quad. Not a single person ran in the fall, so the seat has been unoccupied.
- Justice of the Union Judiciary. Danielle Shmuely resigned to study abroad this semester.
- Senator for the Class of 2010. Paul Balik resigned for personal reasons. (Incidently, Paul’s resignation represents a great loss for the Senate. His thoughtful, meticulous style made him a very highly respected voice in debate, and his leadership on the Bikes Task Force is a key reason why Brandeis will have bicycles to lend in March.)
We’re trying a new style of election coverage during this cycle that I hope will help the candidates connect with those in the Innermost Parts community. Each candidate running for an open position was sent a short questionnaire covering issues of relevance to their elections. Their answers will be posted as they’re received, and we’ll post a link to them on election day. Hopefully, voters will be able to use these answers to make more informed choices in these races. The questions sent to the candidates are:
For Senate candidates:
- What new or existing projects would you like to work on in the Senate?
- What experience do you have that you think would help you be an effective Senator?
- What issues do you find most pressing for your specific constituency?
- One of the four pillars upon which Brandeis was founded is the commitment to social justice. How do you interpret this commitment, and what role does the Student Union Senate have in fulfilling it?
- What do you consider the most pressing issues facing Brandeis as a result of the budget deficits, and what role would you play as a Senator in working on them?
For Judiciary candidates:
- What experience do you have that you think would help you be an effective Justice?
- What would your approach be in judging a case, and how do you think it might be different from the approach others would take?
- As a Union government officer, would you involve yourself in Union projects beyond the Judiciary? If so, what?